After 23 years, 'Wild Bill' is retiring

Assistant Camp Director for Camp Kiwanis Bill Krysalka, right, gets a hug from camper Myah Ankiewicz, 10, after she and Lexi Huffman completed a canoe trip on Mill Dam Lake with other campers Thursday morning. Bill Krysalka has worked at Camp Kiwanis each summer since 1990.

Doug Engle/Star-Banner

By Carlos E. MedinaCorrespondent

Published: Friday, July 12, 2013 at 6:04 p.m.

Last Modified: Friday, July 12, 2013 at 6:04 p.m.

Bill Krysalka stands by the iconic bell at Camp Kiwanis in the Ocala National Forest, waiting for the stroke of 7:30 a.m. to ring in the start of a new day of summer camp.

Assistant Camp Director for Camp Kiwanis Bill Krysalka, right, gets a hug from camper Myah Ankiewicz, 10, after she and Lexi Huffman completed a canoe trip on Mill Dam Lake with other campers Thursday morning. Bill Krysalka has worked at Camp Kiwanis each summer since 1990.

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“Bill is famous for his bell-ringing skills,” said Jensen Dillard, one of the camp’s counselors.

The bell rings all day long, signaling everything from wake-up to mealtimes to lights out. And more often than not, it is Krysalka doing the ringing.

“In the morning the campers are a little sluggish responding to the bell, but they come running when it rings for lunch and dinner,” Krysalka said.

On Friday, Krysalka, who is retiring after 23 years at the camp, rang the bell for the last time.

For his dedication to the camp, the man whose nickname of “Wild Bill” belies his unflappable countenance, was given the bell as a going-away present.

“He’s been ringing that bell for 23 years to signal all of our activities. It was here well before he was, but, like him, it is a symbol of the camp, so we felt he should have it,” said Scott Mitchell, camp director.

Camp Kiwanis was established in 1948 at the site of a depression-era Civilian Conservation Corps camp at the edge of Mill Dam Lake. The camp is a cooperative program between Marion County Public Schools and the Kiwanis Club of Ocala. It operates for fours week during the summer.

A traditional camp, more than 100 campers stay for five days and sleep in dormitories at night.

“When I first started, we didn’t have air conditioning or the big pavilion or sidewalks,” said Krysalka, a digital media teacher at Belleview High School.

Krysalka also will leave his teaching post next year, after 30 years. He said he is retiring to focus on a digital production business he started with a former student, which has grown substantially.

His decision to leave Camp Kiwanis was not an easy one, he said.

“It’s a lot of hard work, but what kept me going was seeing what the camp experience brought to these kids’ lives,” he said. “Some of these kids, for the first time in their lives, are out here in the woods, and they are only about 20 miles from Ocala.”

Most of the children take to the camp right away, but a few are uncertain about sleeping away from home. He gives them special attention.

“If he sees a kid on the playground by himself, he makes it a point to get them with a group so they can start making friends. You may have a kid who is homesick and you just can’t get through to him. He knows exactly what to say,” said Brett Powell, who has been a camp counselor for three years.

Powell said Krysalka helped him settle in during his first year as a junior counselor.

“When I first got here, everyone already had their own friends and cliques, but he would put us in positions where we got involved and allowed us to spread our wings,” Powell said. “He really is like a father figure to me.”

For Krysalka, the camp has been a family affair. His wife, Lisa, was camp director for seven years, and both his children served as camp counselors.

On Thursday, campers scrambled to and from activities at the picturesque site. Some were swimming, some were at the archery range, other were rowing canoes through the choppy waters of the lake. Still others just ran around on the playground. The frenetic pace of the camp is Krysalka’s pace — he rarely stands still.

“He seems to be everywhere at once. You can see him anywhere at any time. It’s like he just appears, and always with his clipboard in his hand,” said Dillard, also a third-year counselor.

Despite his pace, Krysalka is usually the picture of composure.

“It’s very, very rare that I have seen him get his feathers ruffled. This camp runs smoothly because of him. He loves the kids, and the kids love him. He’s one of those types of people you don’t run into very often. He makes it look easy. We have 104 campers and a staff of 23. They are in and out of the lake, shooting bows and arrows, and then feeding them. There will be some kids who get homesick and counselors who get sick, but he handles it all in stride,” said Mitchell, who became camp director in 2004.

Krysalka was camp director for one year in 2003, but then Mitchell was hired as director of the Silver River Museum and part of the job included directing the camp.

“I had no idea what I was doing here. I showed up, met Bill and I said, ‘I really feel awkward. I feel like I took your job.’ He said, ‘No problem. I’d rather work with the kids anyway,’ ” Mitchell said. “Over the course of one or two summers he trained me. Everything I know about running a summer camp, I learned from him.”

As Krysalka prepared to leave his final camp, he said, “The thing I will miss most is the reaction that I get from the campers and the relationships with the staff. We come really come together as one big family every year.”

<p>Bill Krysalka stands by the iconic bell at Camp Kiwanis in the Ocala National Forest, waiting for the stroke of 7:30 a.m. to ring in the start of a new day of summer camp.</p><p>“Bill is famous for his bell-ringing skills,” said Jensen Dillard, one of the camp's counselors.</p><p>The bell rings all day long, signaling everything from wake-up to mealtimes to lights out. And more often than not, it is Krysalka doing the ringing.</p><p>“In the morning the campers are a little sluggish responding to the bell, but they come running when it rings for lunch and dinner,” Krysalka said.</p><p>On Friday, Krysalka, who is retiring after 23 years at the camp, rang the bell for the last time.</p><p>For his dedication to the camp, the man whose nickname of “Wild Bill” belies his unflappable countenance, was given the bell as a going-away present.</p><p>“He's been ringing that bell for 23 years to signal all of our activities. It was here well before he was, but, like him, it is a symbol of the camp, so we felt he should have it,” said Scott Mitchell, camp director.</p><p>Camp Kiwanis was established in 1948 at the site of a depression-era Civilian Conservation Corps camp at the edge of Mill Dam Lake. The camp is a cooperative program between Marion County Public Schools and the Kiwanis Club of Ocala. It operates for fours week during the summer.</p><p>A traditional camp, more than 100 campers stay for five days and sleep in dormitories at night.</p><p>“When I first started, we didn't have air conditioning or the big pavilion or sidewalks,” said Krysalka, a digital media teacher at Belleview High School.</p><p>Krysalka also will leave his teaching post next year, after 30 years. He said he is retiring to focus on a digital production business he started with a former student, which has grown substantially.</p><p>His decision to leave Camp Kiwanis was not an easy one, he said.</p><p>“It's a lot of hard work, but what kept me going was seeing what the camp experience brought to these kids' lives,” he said. “Some of these kids, for the first time in their lives, are out here in the woods, and they are only about 20 miles from Ocala.”</p><p>Most of the children take to the camp right away, but a few are uncertain about sleeping away from home. He gives them special attention.</p><p>“If he sees a kid on the playground by himself, he makes it a point to get them with a group so they can start making friends. You may have a kid who is homesick and you just can't get through to him. He knows exactly what to say,” said Brett Powell, who has been a camp counselor for three years.</p><p>Powell said Krysalka helped him settle in during his first year as a junior counselor.</p><p>“When I first got here, everyone already had their own friends and cliques, but he would put us in positions where we got involved and allowed us to spread our wings,” Powell said. “He really is like a father figure to me.”</p><p>For Krysalka, the camp has been a family affair. His wife, Lisa, was camp director for seven years, and both his children served as camp counselors.</p><p>On Thursday, campers scrambled to and from activities at the picturesque site. Some were swimming, some were at the archery range, other were rowing canoes through the choppy waters of the lake. Still others just ran around on the playground. The frenetic pace of the camp is Krysalka's pace — he rarely stands still.</p><p>“He seems to be everywhere at once. You can see him anywhere at any time. It's like he just appears, and always with his clipboard in his hand,” said Dillard, also a third-year counselor.</p><p>Despite his pace, Krysalka is usually the picture of composure.</p><p>“It's very, very rare that I have seen him get his feathers ruffled. This camp runs smoothly because of him. He loves the kids, and the kids love him. He's one of those types of people you don't run into very often. He makes it look easy. We have 104 campers and a staff of 23. They are in and out of the lake, shooting bows and arrows, and then feeding them. There will be some kids who get homesick and counselors who get sick, but he handles it all in stride,” said Mitchell, who became camp director in 2004.</p><p>Krysalka was camp director for one year in 2003, but then Mitchell was hired as director of the Silver River Museum and part of the job included directing the camp.</p><p>“I had no idea what I was doing here. I showed up, met Bill and I said, 'I really feel awkward. I feel like I took your job.' He said, 'No problem. I'd rather work with the kids anyway,' ” Mitchell said. “Over the course of one or two summers he trained me. Everything I know about running a summer camp, I learned from him.”</p><p>As Krysalka prepared to leave his final camp, he said, “The thing I will miss most is the reaction that I get from the campers and the relationships with the staff. We come really come together as one big family every year.”</p>